Talula Shippe
Talula Shippe (b. 13 March 2013) is a http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Muggleborn muggleborn witch from London, England and is the third and only magical child born to parents Valeria and Edgar Shippe. She is a first-year http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Hufflepuff Hufflepuff student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. ((OOC Note: Other than the "Rumor has it" section, the following information is not available to your character unless discussed through roleplay.)) =Before Hogwarts= Before Birth Talula is the third-born child to squib and muggle parents. Her father, Edgar, is from a long line of Slytherins; however for unknown reasons, his magical ability never surfaced. He was shunned and sent out into the muggle world to make a life for himself at the young age of 13, living in and out of foster care, until finally graduating from school and obtaining work as an office temp. He met Talula's mother, Valeria (nee Collins), while on assignment. The pair were married at a young age and started a family. They had two boys before having Talula, named Easton and Yorick, neither of which possesses magical ability. Growing Up Talula had a very happy childhood. Her brothers were both very protective towards her, and served as a buffer from any playground bullying. Both parents seemed intent on harvesting a tight knit family unit, since relationships with the extended family were unheard of. The household was on a tight budget, hovering just above poverty most of the time, but simple pleasures were found in the backyard and the annual trip to Alton Towers, where Talula discovered her inner adrenaline junkie. Her favorite sport was gymnastics, though she was game to play just about anything that required her to run around. She was a tomboy through and through, always with skinned knees and elbows, though her mother did take advantage of the girl's sweet tooth to get her in the kitchen from time to time. First Sign of Magic The discovery of Talula's magical ability appeared very late in her childhood. For her tenth birthday, she assisted in creating a blueberry cake with her mother and was responsible for adding the blue food coloring. Somehow, the properties of the coloring magnified so that all who sampled the cake at her party turned blue from head to toe. The Ministry was alerted to the situation and arrived at the party to counter the spell and to wash muggles' minds of the occurrence. Talula was then taken aside by her father and learned the secrets of her heritage. By the end of the year her paternal grandmother Hestarina Shippe was in contact with the family. Although her relationship with her estranged son was tense, the woman was determined to connect with her grandchild and harness the legacy of her family in the wizarding community. In the summer of 2024, Hestarina invited Talula to stay with her near Brighton Beach in efforts to educate the girl on the wizarding world. Talula's parents acquiesced, and so the young girl said goodbye to everything she knew. =At Hogwarts= Train and Sorting Arriving in King's Cross station, Talula kissed her nan goodbye. She was left with the lingering advice to "stick to those dressed in green", as Hestarina Shippe's hope for her granddaughter was that she would be sorted into Slytherin. However, Talula failed at fulfilling her nan's wish, finding herself in a cab with other first years who were wondering along with her into which house they'd be sorted. This is where she met Casey Champion and Olivia Sioux, who would ultimately both be sorted into Ravenclaw. Reeling with energy, Talula chatted up her cab mates throughout the entire train ride, having missed spending time with kids her age. As they arrived at the boats to take them across the Black Lake, Talula started to worry. She had no idea what house she belonged to and, no matter how much her nan pushed for a particular one, her mind refused to settle. The Sorting Hat welcomed them with a song that detailed which attributes gave credence to each house, and Hufflepuff seemed to resonate with her. Under the Hat, she started to sob, eyeing the Slytherin table with terror, knowing she was not particularly ambitious as her nan had hoped. Without question the hat placed her in Hufflepuff, sensing her fears and desires. First Year During their first free weekend, Talula and her friend Mari Sawyer snuck out to investigate the Forbidden Forest. Through use of the Four-Point Spell (the first spell cast successfully by Talula), they found their way to Hogsmeade. It was Talula's suggestion to investigate the Three Broomsticks and perhaps order some butterbeer, since an upcoming Potions project was to create their own recipe and neither girl had ever tasted it. Their adventure was cut short by a run in with Professor Chafferly, who docked 20 points each for their infraction and escorted them back to the castle. Ultimately the punishment from their head of house, Professor Priaulx, was revokation of privileges to attend Hogsmeade weekends for two months, which both gladly accepted. Further infractions, Priaulx told them via owl, would result in them missing the Halloween dance. It was during a Xylomancy class that Talula received shocking news from Professor Bellingham that her stick (nicknamed Nigel) was marked with the Grim. Feeling she'd been had by the professor after some consoling from her prefect, Aisling Jones, Talula felt resentment towards what seemed to be a rather benign professor. Then, out of nowhere, Talula's pygmy puff Nugget died. A beautiful funeral was held in the Middle Courtyard, attended by a variety of houses and a choir of pygmy puffs who sang beautifully to the demise of their cohort. It was assumed that the puff was simply old and passed away of natural causes, but upon attending a Xylomancy class overseen by Magical Creatures professor Tiona Twine, Talula got the idea that Nigel and Nugget were somehow in contact with one another so as to pass the Grim from Talula onto the unsuspecting pygmy puff. =About Talula= Appearance Talula is of an average height for her age, with dark blonde hair that hugs her shoulders and light green eyes. Her skin is fair and freckled but oftentimes flushed from exertion. She is unnaturally pretty for a firstie, and that can be attributed to her veela heritage. She prefers skirts to slacks when it comes to her uniform, but is more comfortable in jeans when the occasion calls for casual wear. At night she's typically spotted running around in a yellow oversized and hooded onesie. Personality At first glance Talula appears to be a well-mannered young lady, thoughtful and kind to others. However she has a fire that manifests in excited, friendly chatter that some quieter students might consider to be excessive. She has an eagerness to build and maintain strong relationships with people, even the occasional friendly rivalry. For the most part she is rather good natured, but on occasion an argument will be set upon her and the little girl will spark with passionate anger. This is just as upsetting for her as for others, because of the fallout it creates. She tends to come to her senses quickly and apologize for the sake of keeping friendships intact. Talula performs fairly well in her classes, with Flying, History of Magic, and Muggle Studies being her strong areas of study. However, she is less successful at subjects such as Potions, Herbology and Magical Theory. She also has a very active lifestyle and visits the pitch every morning to jog or to practice flying or gymnastics. Likes Talula is a true adrenaline junkie with an appreciation for roller coasters and amusement parks. She excels at flying and attributes this to her fearlessness. She loves the colors pink and cyan, and her favorite snack is chocolate frogs. Fears Talula is terrified of her own developing feelings towards boys and can be exceptionally awkward around those she fancies. She is also afraid of rejection from her peers. =Relationships= Family * Edgar and Valeria (parents): Talula has a very good relationship with both her parents, and is particularly fascinated with her father's past. However she never wishes to upset him and so leaves questions related to the matter out of her letters. Valeria oftentimes sends muggle sweets via owl, weighing down the poor creatures with macaroons and caramels, and Talula is known to share these treats with her schoolmates. * Easton and Yorick (brothers): At age 18 and 14 respectively, Talula's brothers Easton and Yorick played an integral role in her childhood development. Both were extremely protective of their little sister. They still tend to call her Lu, and have no qualms about roughhousing her and treating her like the tomboy they have come to know. Both brothers are under the assumption that Talula is attending an academy for aspiring gymnasts. * Hestarina (grandmother): A far more important relationship than even Talula realizes. Hestarina is responsible for the girl's preliminary education in the wizarding world and also serves as her official guardian as of the summer of 2024. She handles all paperwork sent to her from Hogwarts and takes a very strong interest in Talula's activities and achievements at school. Furthermore, Hestarina is half-veela, a trait passed to Talula that she is not aware of. Known for her fiery temper, Talula does her best not to anger the woman, and so has never been exposed to the full brunt of Hestarina's abilities. Friends * Marianna Sawyer and Abigail Grace Bluetooth: Together with Talula, these girls create a trio of inseparable firstie friends. Mari and Talula are both Hufflepuffs, though they have adopted Slytherin Abigail into their fold quite easily. It is considered rare to find one not in the company of at least one of the other girls. * Julia Alter: A fellow Hufflepuff firstie who is rarely seen but admired by Talula for her academic excellence. * Casey Champion: A kindhearted Ravenclaw firstie whom Talula met on the train. They sometimes share meals together and Casey brings her chocolate back from Hogsmeade. * Salem Billoweather: Another Hufflepuff firstie. Talula simply adores his attempts to perform muggle magic tricks because it reminds her of her father. * Axthal Vesper: A Hufflepuff firstie Talula met recently. They get along quite well and Talula wants to help him organize a talent show. * Matt Warren: Talula's first kiss, if you want to count his cheek. The boy seemed infatuated with Talula, and it was only a matter of time before they were having the LIKE like talk. However, after telling his best friend Tom Morgan that they in fact snogged, Talula was furious with the fellow firstie. She has since moved on, chalking up the whole experience as a disastrous experiment in trying to understand the interests of twelve year old boys. * Liam Thomas Atmore: Talula's surrogate older brother, and a fellow Huffle. He naturally reminds her a lot of Yorick, her actual brother, who is the same age. Talula has tried to be there for Liam through some tough times, and in return Liam has protected and advised the young girl on boys and life in general. * Sila Warrington: The Hufflepuff prefect seems very protective of Talula, as is the nature of many of her older housemates. However, Talula would pretty much do anything Sila requests, looking up to them as an idol to be modeled after. * Aisling Rose Opal Jones: Another one of Talula's idols, and of course a Hufflepuff prefect. Ais seems to play mama badger sometimes to the younger years, which Talula usually finds amiable, but other times considers it overbearing. Enemies and Rivals * Allison Williams * Adelaide Lascelles * Garrett Owen McNeil =Miscellaneous= Rumor Has It "Rumour has it that Matt Warren asked fellow Hufflepuff Talula Shippe to the ball, and she said…No! Poor Matt." Behind the Scenes Talula was created by player Talula Shippe for Second Life's Mischief Managed RP in the summer of 2015. She was introduced to the roleplay through an OOC friendship with Essa Nazari's player, and engaged in some scenes at the Brighton Beach sim. However, real life and other roleplays intervened and Talula wasn't available to attend during the school year. She rerolled Talula in August of 2017 so that she could enter Hogwarts anew as a first year. Talula has been role playing in Second Life since 2009, creating and maintaining an array of characters in mostly high fantasy and science fiction sims. Her greatest joy in role play is the development of character through research, making MMRP ideal with its abundance of source material; her second greatest joy is the opportunity to B.S. at length. When not role playing, Talula enjoys saving her friends from gacha addictions, practicing avatography, and giving her RL dog Kismet a good scratch behind the ear. Category:Hufflepuffs Category:Students